Single Dad
by Loverofliterature111
Summary: Graduated college, got a job, and fell in love. Who knew the woman of his dreams wasn't 'the one' ? With his life falling apart before him, what will Ichigo do now that he's found out he will be a father? AU
1. Chapter 1

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

Hello Readers! Another new summer fanfic I'm working on, I've had a lot of time on my hands so I thought why not? This story is a little different from my other stories, its not from Orihime's perspective but Ichigo's. I was actually planning on writing chapters on my other stories and got carried away and bam, this story was born! I'd love to know what you thought on it :) Enjoy

**Chp 1**

**Life's Surprises **

"No, no honey don't touch that," an orange haired man said, balancing a bottle filled with milk in one hand, the other a cell phone.

"What Ichigo?" A gruff voice was heard from the other line.

"Not you sir! Sorry, you were saying," The man responded placing the bottle on the night stand next to him.

"There will be a meeting this afternoon. You are required to attend it, that wont be a problem right?"

Silently cursing and looking over at the little boy in a crib Ichigo responded. "No, not at all. I'll be there."

"Good, it is your job after all."

As his boss hung up, the orange haired man sighed. Looking over at the clock on his wrist once more, he grabbed the bottle and walked over to the little boy who still hadn't learned how to crawl.

"Morning Mamoru," Ichigo said to the little boy who stared back in response, "I'm sorry I won't be able to spend the rest of the day with you I have work, Karin and Yuzu are in school and father and mother are running the clinic." Ichigo trailed off. Picking up the little boy with a full head of bright orange hair just like himself, he moved to the next room.

With the bottle in his mouth, Mamoru was quiet unlike his normally loud and energetic self. Grabbing his brief case and keys, Ichigo made his way out of his apartment. Making sure to lock the door, he took a deep breathe. Looking once more at the little boy in his arms, he made his way to the door across from his. Ringing the bell he waited.

And waited.

Growing impatient, he knocked on the door. Mid knock, the door swung open.

"I said I was coming!" A middle aged blonde haired woman responded. "Oh! Its just you Ichigo, how can I help you?"

"Hey Mrs. Matsumoto! I actually have a few arons to run and I have a meeting this afternoon, do you mind babysitting Mamoru for me?" Ichigo asked, on the verge of begging. One look at him and she understood the situation he was in.

"You know my doors always open to you two Ichigo," Mrs. Matsumoto said opening her door a little wider for the two to walk in. After all, she was once in his shoes.

"Thank you so much, I promise I'll pay you back some how," Ichigo said to the woman.

"Nonsense," Rangiku Matsumoto said waving her hand. "You know I love kids!"

"I'll be back around seven!" Ichigo said walking out the door.

"I'll see you then," Mrs. Matsumoto said smiling at the little boy in her hands. After all, it's not like she has the opportunity to play with a child who's only a few weeks old.

After paying bills and buying baby formula and diapers, Ichigo parked his car outside the building he worked at. Jogging to the door, he had to make sure he was on time. It was his first day back to work after two weeks of not working, thanks to his bosses' generosity, and he couldn't make any other mistakes. Ever since Mamoru entered Ichigo's life, he had been a much more busy man at only the age of twenty one. Glancing down at the watch on his wrist for the fifth time that hour, he saw he was early. Walking past the front desk, he greeted the receptionist.

"Welcome back, Mr. Kurosaki," the woman greeted.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ise," Ichigo nodded at the spectacled woman.

Walking to the elevator, he pressed the button. "Berry, long time no see," a man patted his back. "Hey Grimmjow," Ichigo was too exhausted to come up with a snarky remark. "How ya been with everything? And Mamoru?" Grimmjow looked at his long time friend. "It definitely took some adjusting to. I'm insanely busy and haven't had a full night of sleep in two weeks. But, Mamoru's perfect,"Ichigo said with a smirk on his face, "A mini me."

"Good for you man," Grimmjow laughed, "The boys had a bet on how long you would last, I'm going to become a rich man."

"Fuck off," Ichigo glared at the slightly taller man in a grey pristine suit. "Have you heard anything from Hami?" Grimmjow cautiously asked. Hearing the name, Ichigo tensed. "No." A one worded answer, but it had so much meaning behind it. "I see," Grimmjow searched the emotion on his long time friend's face, but ended up finding none. As the elevator door opened the pair walked in. "Hold the door!" A voice was heard from outside. As Grimmjow stuck his long arm out, a man with a blonde bob cut ran in.

"Eh well if aint Grimmy and Berry!" The blonde gave a toothy grin.

"I should've let the door close on ya Shinji..." Grimmjow mumbled while Ichigo sighed.

"You look good Ichigo! How's motherhood holding up?" Shinji looked at his coworker and friend who glared back at him.

"Great, thanks."

"What abo-" As Shinji was about to ask a question, Grimmjow, who was behind Ichigo, shook his head, flared his hand over his throat, and mouth 'NO'. "-out that one recipe?"

"What?" Ichigo wasn't expecting that question.

"You know what, never mind. I'll just ask Masaki." Shinji said nodding his head, "She makes the best cake ever, I really wanted to get the recipe."

"Shinji, you don't bake?" Ichigo questioned.

"Course I do, I toss things in the microwave all the time." Grimmjow had to hold back a snicker.

"Alright," Ichigo looked at the opening doors. "See you guys at the meeting," the orange haired man said walking away. Finding an empty chair, Ichigo lowered his brief case. _I still have another hour, might as well get some shut eye. _Sitting down on the chair, it didn't even take him a minute to fall asleep.

* * *

"_High-school, we've been together since freshman year high-school and she dumps me juss like tha," Ichigo slurred taking another drink out of the bottle. _

"_I'm sorry man, I knew how much you cared about her," Grimmjow said frowning at his friend. _

"_I loved her, she was the one," Ichigo said almost falling out of the stool. Ikaku helped him stand, "There will be many 'ones' Ichigo." Ikaku helped his heart breaking friend up. "I think that's enough alcohol tonight for you Ichigo," Shinji said taking the bottle away from the orange haired man. _

"_Hey, I wasn done with tha," Ichigo attempted to glare at the man, but his vision was so blurry he couldn't tell where he was. _

"_Seven years… What the fuck am I suppose to do with the ring now?" Ichigo said to himself. "You know what?" Digging into his suit pocket, he pulled out a tiny box. Walking, well attempting to walk, to the trashcan, he tossed the box in it. "Are you sure you don't want a refund on that? It was quiet a rock," Yumichika added. Ichigo passed out. _

* * *

"_I just found out I'm pregnant Ichigo," a blonde haired girl said. _

"_W-What?" _

"_It's too late to get rid of it..." She sighed over the line. _

"_WHAT?" _

"_Yeah, I guess it's been six months and you aren't aloud to have abortions after the first three months." _

"_Why would you want to abort our child?" Ichigo yelled over the line. _

"_I was never planning on having a kid! I'm not taking care of it; I don't want to be a mother. I have a career to think about, I'm putting it up for adoption." _

"_Like hell you are Hami! I'm not letting a stranger raise my child, did you think I would be okay with this?" _

"_Go ahead! You can have full custody for all I care, just don't bring me in this!" _

* * *

_Looking at the steam rising from the cup, Ichigo looked back at the door. Not even a few minutes later, both his parents walked into the small café near the building he worked at. _

"_Hello my idiot son!" Ishin Kurosaki greeted._

"_Morning Honey!" Masaki walked up to her son and gave him a hug. "You said you needed to talk?" _

"_Yeah, sorry for the late notice. I-I'm on my break, well I just got an important call and wanted to tell you in person…" _

"_What is it son?" Ishin saw this wasn't a laughing matter. _

"_I'm going to be a single father."_

* * *

"_No way! I'm going to be an aunt!" Yuzu ran up to her brother, "Oh thank you Ichigo!" _

"_Didn't know you had it in you Ichigo," Karin smirked. _

"_It'll be a boy," Ichigo smiled at his little sisters. _

"_Can I come over and change his diapers? And feed him? I CAN SEW HIM SCARFS AND CUTE LITTLE MITTENS!" Yuzu began to jump up and down. "I'm going to go start now!"_

* * *

"_Who knew berry would be the first one out of us to get a girl knocked up? And an ex at that too," the group of men laughed at the scowling man._

"_A shot to that, you'll need it Ichigo," Ikaku handed him the bottle. "Yeah, yeah," the orangette mumbled before chugging the bottle._

* * *

"_Good luck Ichigo." The girl took a sip of her tea. "I'm happy __**she **__wont be apart of your life and your sons life. You need someone who will actually be there for you." _

"_For me and a child? Rukia there aren't that many people like that in the world," Ichigo sighed into his cup. "Hey! I'm your best friend, that means I don't have the right to lie to you. And I promise you, you will find someone." _

"_Oh hell no are you playing match maker again, see what happened the last time you did that?" _

"_Sorry…" _

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Ichigo looked at the wrist around his watch. 'The meeting will be in five minutes,' picking up his brief case, he walked to the large room. 'What nice memories…'

Walking to his chair, Ichigo took a seat. Not even a minute later, the room began to fill up. Hours of power points, arguing, and files later, the meeting began to come to an end.

"Meeting dismissed," A man with grey hair said in the front of the long table.

Nodding at his boss, Ichigo grabbed his suit case. "You coming out with us tonight Ichigo?" Shinji asked walking past his friend.

"Nah, not tonight, I have Mamoru now." Ichigo said with a smile. "Tell the little kid I said hi," Shinji said in a baby voice smirking.

"See you tomorrow," Ichigo turned away from his friends.

Knocking on the door, a girl with a bun opened it.

"Hi Ichigo!" She happily greeted.

"Hey Momo, I'm here to pick up Mamoru. Is your mom here?" Ichigo asked.

Shaking her head, Momo responded. "She went to work a few hours ago, Shiro and I were watching Mamoru."

"Thanks you two," Ichigo smiled down at the girl. "Here," Toshiro said bringing the child. Gently handing him over to Ichigo, he held his son. "Night you guys."

"Night," the two siblings responded in sync.

Looking down at his sleeping son, Ichigo couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face.

Opening the door to his apartment, Ichigo looked down once more.

"I love you Mamoru," Ichigo whispered to his son, gently giving him a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

**What did you think? I would love to know! **

**Quick question for all of you, I wasn't sure how I should bring Orihime into this story. Well, I really couldn't make up my mind... Anyways do you think...**

**a.)** Single and or pregnant mother

**b.)** College student/ Coworker

**c.)** new neighbor

**d.)** other

**thanks for the help! **

until next time,

loverofliterature_111


	2. Chapter 2

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

*mild cursing, courtesy of Grimmjow*

Hello my lovely readers! WOW, thank you so much for all those that commented on the last chapter! You guys **really **helped me out, so **thank you!** I really like hearing other peoples responses and what they prefer to be written in stories and when I combine those perspective with mine, it always blows my mind how a story can come out so interesting and enjoyable. All of your comments influenced this story. Your views and what you think should be added/ fixed also gave me new ideas I can put to use in the story. Thanks for the support ;) I'll try to make quick updates, hopefully 2-3 every week.

I would love to hear what you thought on this chapter! **Enjoy :)**

A special thank you to **KazumaKaname, memories in the raine, Ermilus, Chuain, LoveTheStitches, Renji4eva, naleah, Mickeys Swaggmuffins, SasuNarulover49, Czexy, Anonymous Starbucks Lover, kitijos, FireCat and SnowWhite, Ichihime94, qwerty, and broman2! **

previous chapter...

"Night," the two siblings responded in sync.

Looking down at his sleeping son, Ichigo couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face.

Opening the door to his apartment, Ichigo looked down once more.

"I love you Mamoru," Ichigo whispered to his son, gently giving him a kiss on his forehead.

**Chp 2**

**A New Day**

Waking up to the howl of a child weeping, Ichigo lifted his drowsy body of the bed. Checking the time once more, _4:42 AM, _he saw that he had a nice long twenty minutes of sleep since Mamoru's last outburst. Hearing his child wailing made Ichigo want to do anything to bring back the toothless grin, it didn't sit well with him that Mamoru was either unhappy or uncomfortable. Although Ichigo wanted to sleep, desperately, to him,

his child always came first. Thinking about it, he was actually happy when Mamoru threw his occasional fits numerous times every night or early morning for the past two and a half weeks, for that showed the child either needed a diaper change, wanted milk, or just needed his father. It was Mamoru's way of communicating with his dad. It also gave Ichigo an excuse to hold Mamoru close in his protective embrace.

With the tinier child in his strong arms, the orange haired male stroked Mamoru gently until he calmed down, his tears approaching to a halt. Thanking his mother and father once more for all the helpful advice they gave him around children, Ichigo brought his son with him to his bed which was right next to Mamoru's crib. Looking into his babies chocolate colored eyes, Ichigo began to speak.

"I love you Mamoru," he whispered to the newborn nuzzling his nose to the infants. Even though Mamoru was only a few weeks old, Ichigo felt like the younger understood, for after he said that single sentence a toothless grin appeared on the babies face. "Your daddy loves you and will always be there for you, I promise to protect you Mamoru, always and forever." Ichigo vowed. He had sworn to this oath even before Mamoru's birth, when he first found out he would become a father.

And Ichigo was a man who never broke his promises, a man of his word.

With his son's sleeping form on his chest, Ichigo also fell asleep to the child's steady breathing, a single arm lightly wrapped around the tinier body.

* * *

Opening up his eyelids, Ichigo was greeted to the peaceful sleeping form of his son. Smiling at the scene, he looked over at his bedside clock.

_6:03AM._

After bringing Mamoru to his larger bed to sleep with him, the child hadn't waken up once. With his right hand draped over the infant like a blanket, Ichigo began to rub the babies back. His hand alone was a little more than half the size of the infant. Ichigo remembered the first week he had Mamoru around, he was afraid to touch the baby because he didn't want to break it, _he was so little, so fragile. _Carefully lifting him up, he brought Mamoru back to his crib. _An hour and a half of sleep, new record, _Ichigo smirked to himself. Walking into the kitchen, he warmed up Mamoru's milk until it was room temperature. Nodding to himself in approval, he moved to the bathroom and pulled out a tiny plastic tub. Filling it with lukewarm water and pulling out the baby shampoo, Ichigo moved back to his room.

As if on cue, Mamoru opened up his eyes. Making an array of baby like noises and lifting up his arms, Ichigo picked up his son.

"Good morning to you too," the new father said suppressing a yawn.

After Mamoru's shower and milk, Ichigo dressed the child in a sweater Yuzu sewed him. Changing his diaper and covering his tiny legs in sweat pants, Ichigo placed tiny shoes on his feet. Satisfied with his handy work, Ichigo opened up his door and moved to the one across from him. Ringing the bell, the door opened up to an upset looking Toshiro. "Hey Shiro, can you please watch Mamoru for a few minutes for me? I just have to take a quick shower and I'll be out of your hair," Ichigo said, carefully handing Mamoru over to Toshiro's open hands. He missed the ticking nerve on the white haired boy's forehead.

"You are to call me Toshiro, not 'Shiro'," the boy gritted out of his teeth, but the comment went upon deaf ears for Ichigo jogged back to his room.

After taking a quick shower and wearing his suit and tie, Ichigo looked himself once over in the mirror. His spiky hair wasn't cooperating, like every other morning, and had grown out. Walking back and forth, Ichigo began to grab all the necessary supplies he needed for the day. Although he desperately wanted to spend the day with his son and have some 'father son bonding', he new someone still needed to support his small family.

Grabbing his keys, phone, briefcase, a bag filled with emergency supplies regarding Mamoru, Mamoru's milk and Mamoru's stroller, Ichigo was satisfied he had everything. Making his way out the door, he locked it behind him. Ichigo yawned as he made his way back to his son.

"Hi there!" Hearing a voice call out to him, Ichigo turned around. He saw a smiling little girl with grey eyes and light mahogany colored hair.

"Hey!" He waved at her, "Can I help you with anything?" He asked. Looking past her, he didn't see any parents. Was she lost? As his new fatherly instincts rose, he began to worry for the child's safety and what her parents could possibly be going through right now, sick with worry most likely.

"Nope! I just moved here, would you like to be my friend?" The little girl happily asked with a questioning face, lifting her hand up.

"Sure, my names Ichigo," he said, gently shaking the smaller hand she offered.

"My names Mayu, it was nice meeting you Ichigo," she smiled flashing her missing two front teeth proudly. From down the hall, a figure approached carrying a brown box.

"Mayu! What do you think you're doing?" Mrs. Matsumoto's head popped out from behind the box, "We were searching for you!" The blonde haired woman scolded.

"Sorry Mrs. Rangiku, I was just looking around," Mayu apologized with a defeated pout.

Setting the box down, Rangiku walked past the girl and ruffled her hair. "Morning Ichigo! How are you?"

"Good, thank you! I was just heading to pick up Mamoru now. Do you need help with the box or anything else?"

"Oh, there's only one more. And apparently it's Mayu's things," Mrs. Matsumoto moved her gaze back to the little girl with a knowing look. After all, the past hour Mayu hadn't raised a finger too help.

"It was nice meeting you Mr. Ichigo! I'll go help now... Hehe," Mayu waved skipping away.

"She's adora-" Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a door swinging open followed by a child weeping.

"How do you turn him off?" Toshiro said holding Mamoru a safe distance away, his ears vibrating.

"Tsk, Shiro! You don't speak to a child like that!" Rangiku scolded.

"Its TO-SHI-RO," the white haired boy corrected, pronouncing each syllable separately.

"Thanks for watching Mamoru, kid!" Ichigo said retrieving his child, ignoring his neighbors arguing, he continued his morning. Waving goodbye to his still bickering neighbors, he placed a giggling Mamoru inside the stroller.

From his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of the most beautiful shade of auburn. Looking around, there was nothing there. Shrugging to himself, Ichigo made his way to his parent's home. Stepping out of his apartment building, his phone began vibrating.

"Hello?"

"_Good morning Ichigo! I just wanted to ask if you also wanted to stay for dinner later on?" _

"Morning mom and sure. Mamoru misses you guys," Ichigo responded looking at the bright head of orange hair in front of him, a smile formed its way upon the young man's face.

"_And how is my beautiful grandchild?"_ Masaki questioned happily in a baby voice.

"He's good ma, listen," moving his phone from beside his ear, he brought it closer to a mumbling Mamoru making all types of noises. His first 'sounds.'

"_Oh, Ichigo! He is just too cute, you must come over soon!" _

"I will mom, love you. See you later."

"_Love you too, hun." _Masaki said hanging up.

Making his way across the street, a car began honking at Ichigo. Now pissed off, he glared up to the nearing vehicle but didn't want to say anything considered 'rude' in front of his son. What he saw deepened the scowl on his face.

Sitting in the front seat was a laughing Renji, next to an equally laughing Grimmjow. Opening the door and stepping from behind the seats walked out Shinji.

"Ichigo! Mamoruuu!" Shinji ran up to the baby. "What's up?" the blonde questioned.

"Eh! Get your hands off my kid," Ichigo glared at his good friend, moving his stroller as far away as it could go.

"Well, isn't someone a little selfish this lovely Tuesday morning?" Shinji stuck his tongue out.

"Strawberry! Mini berry!" Grimmjow called out followed by Renji.

"Yo Ichigo," Renji greeted the frowning man, "Mamoruu," he said in a baby voice.

"What do you want?" Ichigo glared at the group of three. "You're holding up traffic!" He accused, pointing to Grimmjow's car currently stationed in the middle of the street with no driver.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch Berry, fuck," Grimmjow smirked.

"Language! There is a child here," Ichigo whispered covering Mamoru's ears.

"Oops," Grimmjow looked down at Mamoru, whose ears were currently being covered by Ichigo's much bigger hands. "Hey kid!" Grimmjow moved closer to Mamoru who began smiling at the three hovering above him.

"Let's bring him with us," Shinji said to Renji.

"I can't go anywhere with you, don't you see I have a child?" Ichigo glared at his friends.

"We weren't talking about you, dumbass," Grimmjow stated.

Ichigo's glare intensified, "I don't think Grimmjow has an extra car-seat in the back of his Pagani Huayra, otherwise we coulda gave ya a lift to your parents house, sorry Ichi. We should start heading to work now," Shinji said putting Mamoru back in his stroller.

A grunt from Grimmjow and a wave from Renji signified the other two leaving. "See ya in a few," Ichigo said before heading to his parent's home. After all, it was only two blocks away from his own.

After walking the rest of the way, greeting his loving mother and …hyperactive father who likes to kick his son, saying goodbye to a sad Mamoru who wouldn't let go of Ichigo's index finger tore his heart in two. But he had no choice, walking out of his parents home, the young man checked his watch. _I still have a few minutes and am in desperate need of a cup of coffee. _Taking a bus to the café across from the building he works at, Ichigo opened the door and stood in the shorter than usual line. Placing his keys and briefcase on the nearby table while he waited for coffee, a woman with the same shade of auburn hair he saw from the early morning walked into the same café. He's always loved that color, especially when he was younger. Call it a fetish, but in kindergarten that was the color of the crayon he would always pick out. It was just so _fair _to him.

Captivated by _her,_ he couldn't shift his gaze towards anything, she looked so different from the rest of them. She had a different aura. Trying to figure her out, he unknowingly oogled her, the minute grey eyes met chocolate brown, Ichigo looked away quickly. He had always been to curious for his own good. But when she looked away once more, he went back to observing her.

The way she flickered her gaze over the board and bit her luscious peach colored lips.

The way she scrunched up her nose and tilted her face to the side in thought.

He was fascinated by her, allured.

Still waiting for his cup of coffee, he scolded himself for keeping his eyes on her too long. Its not like he had feelings for her, he just met her, not even formally. Ichigo was not a man who fell for ones appearance, he was a man of respect. He could never be honest and say he has feelings for her. Isn't that impossible? Love at first sight? It only occurs in movies and he was not living on a Hollywood set. Ichigo had once fell in love and he fell very hard, that love lasting only seven years. But was that love? Was that truly love? Thinking about Hami caused Ichigo to tense; he felt the scars re-open in his chest. Why did the appearance of one girl stir up all these emotions in him, cause him to question the choices he made in his life?

But those choices gave him a gift, the best thing that's ever occurred in his life. _I have a son, my main priority. Mamoru._

His child is the first thing Ichigo thinks about when he goes to sleep and the first thing that's on his mind when he wakes up. Just saying his name mended some of those tares in his chest that the sweet boy's mother caused… Except she's not his mother, for although she did give birth to the boy she did not care for him, love him, want to be a part of his life, raise him, protect him… Thinking about her, made Ichigo upset. The fact that she thought about _giving up _Mamoru, his beautiful baby boy, caused Ichigo to tighten his fists. An immense wave of anger roared through him, but the second he heard a voice bring him back from the past, his anger simmered down.

"Hello," the auburn haired beauty smiled up at him. Her purse and keys very close his things on the small table, she stood waiting along side him for her cup of coffee. But he did not notice the details of the material supplies.

Reminiscing in the past took a toll on Ichigo. He felt his throat constrict, his vocal cords leaving him. He hated to admit it, well not really at all actually but it would hurt his pride if he did (the real reason being his friends would never allow Ichigo live this down), that he was homesick. He missed his little boy, his son, the light of his life. But Ichigo Kurosaki was not a man who let his emotions get the best of him, unless he could help it. "Good morning," Ichigo greeted the auburn haired woman with respect, his deep voice stable and in tact. Looking back at his watch he saw he only had two minutes before he was late for work.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the cashier called his name, his coffee in her hand. Walking to the lady behind the counter, he thanked her. Retreating back to the auburn haired beauty, he said goodbye, keeping her calculating gaze up until he turned around to open the door of the café shop. Ichigo felt she was the one from this morning, but there was something else about her that was familiar, very familiar. He blamed it on the crayon fetish.

_Is she the girl from this morning? _Jogging his way across the street, Ichigo yawned for the upteenth time that day.

He didn't notice the pink key chain hanging off his keys.

* * *

**What did you think? I would love to know! **

**So as I was continuing with this story, I really wanted to try something 'different' and 'new', to attempt to make this story/ plot line unique from the others out there. Do you guys have any advice? I'd really appreciate it! **

**And another quick question for all you wonderful readers, Orihime's family/ background isn't very clear. We all knew she has a distant aunt, but I didn't know if I should have that stand as her only family. What do you think?**

**a.) **Take the distant aunt route/ distant family

**b.) **She has Sora there for her, who has always been her father figure (Her only other family)

**c.)** She has a stable family, loving parents and an older brother

**d.) **No family at all/ Brother past away, takes care of herself

**Thanks for the help last time! ...And this time! **

until next time,

loverofliterature_111


	3. Chapter 3

~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~

Hello readers! Thanks again for all the support, it means a lot to me! A huge thank you to all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! I hope you like how the stories going so far!

Special thank you to **wyrrell, Arrankor, Ermilus, Xtremefairy, InoueLucy, Czexy, two Guests, KazumaKaname, and Temarixx! **

previous chapter...

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the cashier called his name, his coffee in her hand. Walking to the lady behind the counter, he thanked her. Retreating back to the auburn haired beauty, he said goodbye, keeping her calculating gaze up until he turned around to open the door of the café shop. Ichigo felt she was the one from this morning, but there was something else about her that was familiar, very familiar. He blamed it on the crayon fetish.

_Is she the girl from this morning? _Jogging his way across the street, Ichigo yawned for the upteenth time that day.

He didn't notice the pink key chain hanging off his keys.

**Chp 3**

**Dinner **

After a long hard day, paper work, and multiple cups of coffee later, Ichigo walked out of his small office.

"Night Rya," he nodded at his secretary as he moved towards the exiting door.

"Good night Mr. Kurosaki!" The blonde happily smiled at his broad back, cheeks a flame.

"Busy night Eh?" Grimmjow and Shinji approached the retreating form of their orange haired friend, pattering there way together across the tiled floor.

"That's for sure," Ichigo sighed, looking forward to seeing his sons giggling face, the thought of the infant brought a smile to Ichigo's features.

"Have ya had any sleep this week?" Shinji playfully nudged the single father, curiosity underlying his tone.

"Barley, Mamoru's been throwing fits lately," Ichigo scowled, attempting to suppress a yawn, he closed his eyes for a split second.

"Idiot," Grimmjow easily pulled Ichigo by his collar, effectively stopping him.

"What the fuck smurf," Ichigo glared at the slightly taller man seething.

"Bastard, you almost ran into the fucking door," Grimmjow glared back with just as much ferocity.

"Grimmy, why'd you do that? I had my camera pulled out…" Shinji pouted, crossing his arms.

Ichigo looked up and saw what Grimmjow said was right. Running his hand through his hair, he moved his gaze back to the azure haired man. "Oh, thanks Grimmjow," Ichigo mumbled.

"Now you're thankful," Grimmjow smirked, Ichigo chose to ignore him.

As the pair of three continued there walk outside, opening the glass doors, they were met with the cool night.

"Ya know Ichi, you should really take care of your self." Shinji patted the man's back. "Hate to admit it, but Shinji's right strawberry," behind Grimmjow's frown was concern. Noticing this, it was Ichigo's turn to smirk.

"Since when did you two become my parents?"

"Seriously Ichigo, you've been working over hours and raising a child-"

"Where are you going with this Shinji?" Ichigo became defensive.

"Shouldn't you take it easy? May be less hours at work or something?" Grimmjow offered. "You look like crap man, Nel could always babysit Mamoru… You know she loves kids."

"A few drinks will do ya some good! And that one pretty little blonde's been oogling at ya since ya joined this company, what was her name… Rita?" Shinji creased his eyebrows in thought.

"Rya," Ichigo corrected, "And she's my secretary dipshit. Your not suppose to date your coworkers."

"And where is that written in the rule book again?" Shinji proposed in a singsong voice.

"Not interested," Ichigo glared at the blonde haired man as he reached the crosswalk. "Anyways, I got to go. See you at work tom-," Before he could cross the crosswalk, Shinji's strong grip on his arm stopped him.

"You know were here to help you and having someone else with you is never a bad thing. Hey Ichigo, I'm just saying, don't ya think Mamoru needs a mother figure? It'll make your job easier."

"What do you expect me to do Shinji? Grab some girl off the street and throw a pacifier at her, tell her to watch my son? Do you really see me as the type to open my doors to someone I don't even know to care for my child? The one good thing in my life, the one good thing that came out of that shitty relationship I was just in for 7 years? I love my son; he will always be my main priority. I work over hours for him; I no longer am supporting myself… Shinji, man you know my story. I loved Hami and apparently she didn't feel the same way, she didn't want-" Ichigo stopped mid-sentence, he physically could not continue with out wanting to punch a whole in the wall. Breathing in through his nose and clenching his fists, he looked up to his two friends. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm. Fine." Looking back at the blinking light of a pedestrian and down at his watch, he saw he was running late. "I have to leave, I'll see you tomorrow."

Without looking back, he made his way to his parent's house.

Frustrated at the situation and himself, Ichigo kicked a stone on the sidewalk. _I shouldn't have gone off on them, _mentally reminding himself to call Shinji and Grimmjow tonight, Ichigo finally reached his parent's home. Ringing the bell, the door was opened by a little girl with sandy blonde hair.

"Ichi!" Yuzu jumped into her older brothers arms.

"Hey kiddo, how was school?" Ichigo patted her head setting her down.

"It was good," Yuzu blushed and changed the topic, "I did Mamoru's nails!" She giggled.

"What?" Ichigo asked with horror taking his shoes off.

"Well I was painting my nails while he was in my room and I just had to! He looked so fascinated!" Yuzu pouted, "It looks so cute on him!"

"Really now," the pair walked into the living room to see an upset Karin yelling at the TV.

"Damn World Cup," she said through clenched teeth, angrily throwing the remote at the flat screen.

With his guard up, Ichigo was surprised his overactive father hadn't come flying down the stairs yet. As if reading his face, Karin answered his questions.

"Dad's at the clinic, there was an accident."

"I see, what's up with you Karin?" Ichigo asked. Taking a deep breathe and turning the TV off, she slowly turned towards her brother. "Nothing. Nothing at all." Walking out of the room, Yuzu moved to the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready in 5!"

"Need help Yuzu?" Ichigo asked even though he was curious of the whereabouts of his mother and son.

"No!" She yelled back.

"Ichi," a sandy blonde woman walked through the door, toddler in hand. Ichigo's eyes brightened when he saw his mother and son.

"Mom, Mamoru… Hey," he walked up to the pair, kissing his mothers cheek.

"I'm glad you could make it," Masaki smiled up at her son.

"Me too, I hope Mamoru wasn't a hassle," Ichigo moved his gaze to the drooling happy toddler.

"Not at all! You know how much grandma loves children!" Masaki made faces causing Momoru to go into a fit of giggles.

"You're too young to refer to yourself as '_'grandma',_" Ichigo scowled. Masaki shook her head, "I hope you're hungry! Yuzu and I cooked your favorite!"

After a wonderful dinner with his family, which was interrupted by a boisterous Ishin, the time seemed to fly by. As the night grew darker, Ichigo was reminded he had work the next day. Thanking his family once more and dodging his father's kicks, Ichigo walked with his son back home.

Holding the toddler who was wrapped in a blanket to shelter himself from the cold, Ichigo was grateful the walk to his place wasn't to long. After entering the elevator and moving to his floor, he continued his path, Mamoru asleep in his arms. Digging into his pockets, Ichigo made a turn in the hall. Looking down at his keys, his jaw dropped.

Ichigo Kurosaki did not own a pink chappy key chain.

Remembering the auburn haired female from this morning, Ichigo sighed.

He must've taken her keys.

Meaning she has his.

And he's locked out of his apartment.

He doesn't even know her.

Remembering Rangiku has an extra pair of keys, he quickened his pace. _Hopefully they aren't asleep. _With his eyes on the carpet floor, he finally looked up.

Ichigo was greeted by the form of two individuals sitting across from the door next to his. He immediately recognized both, one form from the other day, Mayu. Although he couldn't see the others face, he already knew who she was.

What gave her up?

The auburn hair on the females head.

From this morning.

"Hey!" Ichigo called out to the pair. Two pairs of grey eyes looked up to him, one holdin surprise the other happy.

"Mr. Ichigo, your back!" Mayu waved at the man.

"Hey there Mayu!" He smiled down at the little girl, but moved his gaze to the person next to Mayu. "Miss, from this morning, I think I took your keys," Ichigo handed her the object, cradling his son with his free hand. "Sorry," he apologized guiltily.

"Thank you! And it's completely fine, your not the only on at fault. I'm just happy I found them," The auburn haired female handed Ichigo his keys from her purse. "This must be yours."

"It is."

"Orihime, you know Mr. Ichigo?" Mayu tilted her head.

"Mr. Ichigo?" Orihime questioned Mayu.

"Where's my manners, my names Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Orihime Inoue." The auburn haired female looked down at Mayu, "Now I do!" Moving her gaze back up to Ichigo, she finally noticed the child in the blanket.

"This must be Mamoru! Rangiku has told me so much about him, he's much cuter then she described!" Orihime whispered to the sleeping baby.

"Thanks," Ichigo looked down at his arms.

"Is Mayu your daughter?" Ichigo asked. The female standing in front of him looked around his age, may be younger. Mayu was at least nine years old.

After hearing his comment, Mayu began to giggle.

"Yeah, Mom, answer his question," Mayu laughed, "You really do look old," she added with a whisper.

"N-No, Mayu's actually my niece," Orihime frowned at the brunette next to her. _I am not old…_ She self-consciously looked down and playfully nudged Mayu.

"Oh," Ichigo responded surprised. _Makes sense. _

"Yup Mayu is helping her aunt move in, then she gets to go back to her parents." Orihime felt she had to explain. Mayu frowned up at her aunt. "Its past your bed time Mayu, Sora and Akira are visiting tomorrow, let's go." She said with a sad smile.

Ichigo frowned. Mayu was just starting to rub off on him, he was starting to really like the little girl. She was so energetic and exuberant, something nice to have running around the apartments. Even Mamoru was starting to ease up to her.

"Thanks for the keys Mr. Kurosaki! Night!"

"No problem Miss. Inoue, bye you two." Ichigo waved at the pair, "You should visit before you leave Mayu, I think Mamoru will miss you if you don't."

"I will! Byyyye!" Mayu sang as the door closed.

The little girls antics made Ichigo smile.

Walking into his flat, he closed the door behind him.

"Good night Mamoru," Ichigo whispered, cradling the small child, "Daddy loves you." Continuing the walk into his bedroom, he flicked the light on with his free hand.

He stopped when he saw pink.

_Pink?_

_Of all the colors why pink? _

Pink nail polish on my son?

* * *

**What did you think? I would love to know! **

Should there be any other pairings? If so, who?

Grimmnel, RenRuki...

And would you prefer if:

Orihime be introduced already with a love interest, like a previous/ current boyfriend?

**Thank you so much for reading this story! Your support and words are just so kind, every review you leave brings a smile to my face! You guys are my motivation so, thank you! What were your thoughts on this chapter? Any future advice? **

until next time,

loverofliterature_111


	4. Chapter 4

**~Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo~**

Hello you wonderful readers! How are you? Another update for this story, a thank you to all those reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting. It means a lot to me :) Special thank you to **FireCat and SnowWhite, Fostersb, lsis-light, Renji4eva, broman2, Czexy, and Ermilus! **

**Enjoy ;)**

previous chapter...

The little girls antics made Ichigo smile.

Walking into his flat, he closed the door behind him.

"Good night Mamoru," Ichigo whispered, cradling the small child, "Daddy loves you." Continuing the walk into his bedroom, he flicked the light on with his free hand.

He stopped when he saw pink.

_Pink?_

_Of all the colors why pink?_

Pink nail polish on my son?

**Chp 4**

**Day Off**

After calling his friends to apologize and hanging up on them, twice, Ichigo agreed to take the day off tomorrow.

"I'll take care of ere'thn. I'll even talk to that little blonde for you, hehe." Ichigo could feel Shinji's toothy grin from over the line.

"Her names Rya, she's my secretary. If she complains about you harassing her, I'll kick your ass," Ichigo frowned kicking the refrigerator door closed with his foot. Shaking the carton, he scowled. "Damn it, I'm out of orange juice." He mumbled forgetting he was still on the phone.

"Oh, you poor baby!" Shinji snickered.

"Fuck off," Ichigo hung up before Shinji could respond.

Turning his phone off and throwing the carton away, he opened up his fridge once more. _Milk will have to do. _

Before Ichigo could go to sleep, he heard his doorbell ring.

"SHHH," he seethed. Mamoru was asleep!

Running to the door and praying that the bell wouldn't ring once more to wake his son, again, Ichigo looked over at the time. _2:14 AM. _

Who is..?

Opening the door, Ichigo was met with a watery eyed Mayu, a large blanket over her tiny figure.

"Can I please come in?" She asked before walking past him.

"Sure?" Ichigo said closing the door, "Does your mo- aunt know you're here?"

Mayu growled.

"Lets not talk about her." The brunette said as she plotted on the carpet pulling out a red spaceship.

"Alright," Ichigo awkwardly stared down at her, "Can I help you with anything?"

Mayu looked up at him and thought for a second, "….No." She said going back to looking down at the spaceship.

"Okay," Ichigo moved his weight to his other foot. _What the hell am I supposed to do? It's too early to think… _

"You okay Mayu?" Ichigo asked sitting down a comfortable distance away from the normally bubbly girl.

"I don't know." She pouted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Before Ichigo could respond, Mayu interrupted him. "I'm mad at aunt Orihime!" She said, a little too loudly. Ichigo flinched.

"I see," Ichigo whispered, "We can talk about it if you would like, but we're going to have to be very quiet. Mamoru's a light sleeper and if he wakes up, he'll be very grouchy. Scowl and all." Mayu giggled. "Let's whisper so he can't here us! Does that sound okay with you?"

"Mhmm," she whispered.

"What happened?" The smile dropped on Mayu's face, replaced with a pout.

"Aunt Orihime's kicking me out tomorrow."

"She's kicking you out?"

"She won't let me stay at her apartment!" Her voice increased, Ichigo visibly flinched once more.

"Sorry," Mayu whispered.

"What do you mean Mayu? I thought your parents were coming to pick you up tomorrow?" Ichigo asked her confused.

"But I don't want them too. I just met aunty and now she's leaving me," Ichigo was confused for a second. _Just met her aunt? _But then he reminded himself that it wasn't his business. Mayu's bottom lip began to tremble. _Shit. No, not tears! What do I do now?_

Thinking back to all those times, his little sisters had cried when they were younger, Ichigo remembered his father hugging them. Ichigo would usually frown, may be give them a high five and a pat on the back later. It seemed to work back then; he was never a big fan of women crying. The females he surrounded himself by were always… manly. Tatsuki, Rukia, even Hami. Ichigo scowled. Bringing himself back to the situation at hand, he began to panic. _Will it work now? Only one way to find out…_

Ichigo moved closer to Mayu and attempting to give her a comforting hug. _It's like all those times I tried to calm Mamoru down by holding him. _

After a few minutes he looked down at her, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Mayu sniffled.

"Good," Ichigo smiled at his success and patted her on the head. _Wasn't so hard. _

But he spoke to soon, for Mayu started crying once more, harder. _Double shit. _

Holding her once more, Ichigo didn't let go of her so fast. "It'll be alright," he told her, even though he wasn't so sure himself. _Maybe I'll talk to her aunt later? This seems like a pretty big issue… _ When her trembling stopped and Ichigo was sure she wouldn't start crying again, he slowly pulled back. "Better?"

"Yeah," She nodded her head, tightly gripping onto the spaceship.

"I'll go get you a tissue," Ichigo quickly got up. _It worked! I will keep that in mind for future references…_

After jogging to Mamoru's bedroom and checking on the boy, Ichigo gave him a quick and feather light kiss. Grabbing the box of tissues by his crib, he jogged back to Mayu.

"Here you go." Ichigo passed the box to her.

"Thank you." She mumbled flashing him a smile.

"Mayu, I know this might seem kind of hard for you, but don't you think it's hard for Orihime too? And your parents?" He asked her, confused brown eyes met Ichigo's gaze.

"What do you mean Mr. Kurosaki?"

"Well, I'm sure they both care a lot about you and I understand you'll miss your aunt, but your parents are struggling too. I know they miss you," Ichigo thought about Mamoru, "Whenever I'm at work, I can't get my son out of my head. I'm constantly worried and missing him, because he's my little baby and I love him." Ichigo smiled at the open bedroom door.

"Don't you think if your parents found out you wanted to move out, they would be a little hurt?" Ichigo raised one of his eye brows.

"I didn't think of that," Mayu said more to herself then Ichigo.

"And I'm sure that your aunt said you could visit her, right?"

"Yeah, she did," Mayu mumbled.

"Well there you go! They both love you and miss you, so don't think you're being kicked out or anything, alright?" It was like a light bulb lit up over her head, it finally 'clicked'.

"That does make sense," smiling up at Ichigo, she pounced on him with the speed of a jaguar.

"Thanks Mr. Kurosaki!" Unprepared for the jump or the outburst, Ichigo fell onto the ground with the giggling little girl in his arms.

"Ichigo's fine," He smiled down at her. "Now how bout we go to your aunt, I'm sure she'd be worried in the morning if she woke up alone in her apartment while she had a guest over." Hearing Mamoru's cry, Ichigo sighed. _So much for being quiet. _

"Just give me a sec," Ichigo got up and moved to his son. Picking up the toddler, the shadow of a scowl was visible on his miniature face. _I don't think I've ever been so proud. _Caressing the child and rubbing his small back, Ichigo opened his door. With Mayu behind him, he knocked on the apartment door next to his.

After a few minutes, footsteps were heard nearing the door. After a rattle on the knob, a frizzy haired Orihime in a robe, with her eyes still closed, opened the door.

"Hmmm?" She mumbled slowly opening her eyes and focusing her gaze.

"Oh, Mr. Kurosaki, what can I help you with?" She failed to suppress a yawn.

"Sorry to bother yo-" Ichigo was once more interrupted by Mayu.

"Aunt Orihime, I'm sorry!" She held the auburn haired woman by her waist.

"Mayu?" Orihime looked down. "Why are you apologizing?" _Seriously? _Ichigo thought to himself.

But then Orihime paled. "Why aren't you in your room?" She questioned. "Where were you? This again, dear god, Sora's going to kill me."

"Again?!" Ichigo said shocked, "You've lost her before?"

"…Yes." Orihime giggled, but then realization hit her and she frowned.

"Mayu? Are you trying to get me killed? Why weren't you in the guest room? I think I just had a panic attack! Child, you are going to be the death of me," Orihime frowned down at Mayu.

"Long story, I'm hungry. Can I have ice cream since I'm here?" She asked casually.

"Yeah, go ahead. Ooh, pull me out a bowl!" Orihime added happily clapping her hands. Mayu then turned to the stupefied man behind her, "Thanks Mr. Ichigo! Night Mamoru!"

"N-Night," Ichigo responded still shocked by what he just saw. Who in their right minds responds to this situation like _that _and after practically _losing _a child feeds said minor ice-cream and two o'clock in the morning?

"Thanks for bringing Mayu to me Mr. Kurosaki! Night you two!" Orihime closed the door on the orange haired man.

_It's too fucking early for this. _

Going back into his apartment, all Ichigo wanted to do after his long day was sleep. Possibly for the rest of the month.

With Mamoru already thinking ahead, the infant had past out in his fathers arms. "You my dear get to sleep next to me tonight," Ichigo mumbled to the boy. Locking the doors and turning the lights off, Ichigo gave in to sleep, his son lying across his chest.

X

X  
X

Feeling something slobber across his face, Ichigo growled. Opening one eye, he was met with a drooling Mamoru still on his chest.

"What do you think your doing?" Ichigo yawned and tried to go back to sleep. Feeling little hands run over his lips, he opened his eyes once more.

"I see," Ichigo furrowed his brows, "You won't let your old man sleep, alright." Picking up his son and lifting him, Ichigo was rewarded with giggles. "Guess what?" Ichigo knew he wouldn't get a verbal response but Mamoru lifted his head to his father, head slightly tilted.

"Dad, doesn't have work today," he paused, "Well, I took the day off thanks to two stubborn ass acquaintances of mine. I get to spend the day with you!"

Mamoru silently stared at his father.

"Tough crowd," Ichigo sighed.

"Hmm, let's see. What can we do today? Park, yes children like parks," He looked up at Mamoru. "But, you can't exactly walk yet so… Eh, why not? We can jog to the park, but of course you would be in a stroller."

After his and Mamoru's morning rituals, Ichigo threw on a pair of shorts and a wife beater. With Mamoru in a one piece carefully strapped in to his stroller, the orange haired father and son made their way to the park. The entire time, Ichigo felt eyes on him. A little uncomfortable, he ignored the feeling and continued his way. With occasional glances at Mamoru, he saw the little boy was smiling up at the birds. _It's only been a few weeks and he wants freedom, _Ichigo shook his head.

Even before having a child, Ichigo grabbed the attention from the others around him. When he was younger, it was because of his hair color. He was told he was 'handsome' here and there throughout both high-school and college, but it didn't improve let alone impact his pride. He didn't care at the time, nor does he at the moment. He was a taken man, a taken man in love. He would never think about another female while in a relationship… But now, he is a single man, no longer in love. At least that's what he keeps telling himself. Does he still have feelings for Hami? How could he, she wanted to abort his child! Dismissing his depressing thoughts, he looked down at Mamoru. Who needs _love_ when they have a beautiful baby boy? Lifting the corners of his mouth, Mamoru began giggling at his father.

Towering at 6' 1' and only in his early twenties, Ichigo could never believe the amount of attention he was getting from all the females around him. He never really understood it and throughout his life time hadn't really 'understood' the female mind. Growing up with his sisters and lady friends, _pft, I don't think I can refer to that midget as a lady, _he never really understood how females viewed things. Non the less, he was indeed a handsome young man and that had always attracted the other girls around him. Jogging down the street, many pairs of eyes roamed over his tan muscled arms, the tight shirt doing little to cover his ripped abs underneath. With chocolate brown eyes and a unique hair color, that alone could keep ones attention. But, ever since Momaru had been around, the attention Ichigo received seemed to grow ten fold. _A tall attractive male with an adorable son, both seeming quiet happy? _Now they knew: He could support himself and a child, he was responsible and loving. What more can a woman ask for? But thinking through the situation, many assumed if he had a child it meant he probably had a significant other… But who doesn't like a challenge? That was what many of the ladies that crossed Ichigo's path thought as he jogged his way to the park.

But our orange haired father didn't notice any of that. He had always been, a little, dense and all his attention at the moment was on only one thing.

And that was his son, Mamoru.

"Hey, Ichigo!" _Crap. _Jogging faster, he was forced to stop when he reached a crosswalk.

"Ichigo, you ass! I said wait!" Looking behind him a raven haired female was bent down holding her knees for support, panting profusely.

"Oh, it's you Rukia. Sorry I didn't hear you back there."

"Fuck you." She growled.

"Language! There is a child here," Ichigo scowled covering Mamoru's ears.

"Mamoru! Aw, you look so cute!" Rukia's voice drastically changed from violent to angelic in half a second. Standing in front of the small child, the baby began to lift his hands.

"Ichigo, where's the chappy bunny I gave him?" Rukia looked up to the father.

"O-Oh, that," Ichigo's sweat dropped, "In my apartment!" _I think…_

Rukia scrutinized him, but after a few minutes nodded in approval. "Good. Anyways, why aren't you at work?"  
"I could ask you the same," he frowned. "Smurf and thing one made me take a day off," Ichigo's scowl deepened. _Some friends they are, trying to get me fired…_

"Interesting. And I really just needed a break, one of our main men messed up a transition the other day and well… Byakuya is upset." Ichigo grimaced, Byakuya was a very scary man.

After graduating college with her degree in business, Rukia's brother in law, Byakuya Kuchiki hired her. The Kuchiki's are a very important family while Byakuya alone owns some of the largest companies. Respected by all his acquaintances, he is a very stealthy and strict man.

"You wanna join us for a jog?" Ichigo asked her as they walked over the crosswalk.

"Why do you think I'm here? I can't let poor Mamoru suffer alone!"

"Never mind, I take my offer back. I don't know why I asked you in the first place."

"You can't do that."

"I just did."

Rukia responded by kicking Ichigo and swiftly taking away his stroller, baby in tow.

After letting out a string of curses, Ichigo chased after the pair.

This was not unnoticed by a red haired man frowning by an ice-cream stand.

"She makes me buy her ice-cream and runs off with another man?"

X  
X  
X

"Rukia, give me back my child!" Ichigo growled.

"Hmm, may be later."

"No, now!"

Ichigo frowned walking next to the raven haired girl.

"So what's up? How's Rangiku?"

"Good I guess."

"So talkative aren't you?"

"Eh, Rukia! Ichigo!" A red haired man walked up to the group of three.

"Renji, when'd you get here?" Ichigo asked.

"I came with Rukia," he frowned, "She made me get her ice-cream, then left."

"Did you bring it?" She turned to Renji.

"Yes, Rukia." Renji sighed.

Passing her the ice-cream in the shape of a chappy bunny Rukia's eyes widened.

"Oh, Renji! It's beautiful!" Her eyes began to water, "I love you so much!"

"I know," Renji lifted his shoulders up in pride, glancing over at Ichigo.

"Weirdos," Ichigo mumbled taking away his stroller. Leaving the loving pair together, he continued his jog.

On his way back home, Ichigo ran into a familiar face. Standing under the stop sign holding grocery bags was the one and only Orihime Inoue, eyebrows furrowed reading a sign.

"Hey, Orihime. You lost?" He joked.

"Y-Yeah," She awkwardly kneaded her neck, smile in place."I'm still not very good with these streets; I think I just walked into a big circle."

"That's understandable; it's a pretty big city. Need help?"

"Yes please."

"Alright, you can just follow us. I'm walking back anyway. So where's Mayu?"

* * *

**Did Orihime lose Mayu again or is she somewhere else? **

**Why do you think Mayu just met Orihime recently? **

What did you think? I would love to know!

until next time,

loverofliterature_111


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